Sunday, July 10, 2011

I really liked the book Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson. In a very straightforward way, these ministry leaders lay out some of the fundamentals of what it means to live out Christianity in and out of the church in the post-modern culture. It is not a wake up call kind of book that is in your face. It offers the grace it talks about to the church and to Christians, but the book is an exhortation to make the “fame of the Lord” know in the land by living out the life that the Bible teaches, truths that are often so crowded by the culture that they have become only rumors.

In the third generation of rugged individualists, Christians must learn to love, offer grace, extend justice, and offer community and accountability if we hope to make the glory of the Lord know in a land that is blasting consumerism, self-gratification, and is increasingly isolating people from the fullness of life that God has for his children.

I particularly loved the chapters on grace and commitment. And I love their story of the friendship and passion for God that started years ago in the country of their birth, Australia. They cover important Biblical truths and share great stories and illustrations to show application of the Biblical themes addressed in the real world.

Often, I find books with two authors somewhat off kilter but I didn’t find this to be the case with book. A quick read that will leave you with hope that God is not finished with the church in America----even as he sends his leaders from Australia.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Alister McGrath’s book, Why God Won’t Go Away, is a scholarly discussion of the beliefs and worldviews of those who call themselves the New Atheists.This neo-aethism gained momentum for their views after the planes hit the World Trade Center in 2001.McGrath describes how this horrific event justified one of the fundamental beliefs of the New Atheists that religion in any form is evil and therefore, destructive and should cease to exist.

McGrath explains the viewpoints of the leaders of the New Atheist movement whom he referred to as the “four horseman.”The book puts forth the ideas that show the fundamental nature of the movement as being unable to back their philosophy and positions about religion with their own highly treasured beliefs in rationalism and science.

I read this book out of curiosity and to get myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading.I won’t say that I particularly enjoyed it, but I learned a lot. Although I don't believe that the book really answers the question that is the title of the book, my only negative statement would be to say that I hated the last sentence of the book. I was somewhat taken aback and thought that the editor should have advised McGrath to leave out the one sentence that kept the book from ending on a positive note—at least, not a positive one for me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255